Yes, and now for something completely different...
I love computer games. I wouldn't call myself a hardcore gamer, but I enjoy an occasional game. I usually have my peak periods of gaming, followed by dry seasons. From all genres, I'm a big fan of Real Time Strategy (RTS) games, ever since the days of "Dune 2". I was a student back then, and I can still remember starting to play in the evening and suddenly discovering the sun has come up.
I never discovered any interest in games taking place in past times, I prefer current or futuristic games. That's why I like the "Command & Conquer" (CNC) series, as well as WarCraft and StarCraft. All great games. I think my most favorites aspects of the game is discovering the special units as the game plot unfolds. I didn't get into the network games (time... time...), and I prefer playing according to the plot and not just simple skirmish (which is boring after a while).
The latest addition to EA's glorious "Command & Conquer" family if #3 in the series, aka CNC3. Here's a short review of the game. Nothing thorough, just my perspective.
In general, I enjoyed the game very much and I highly recommend it. The game-play is much like all other games in this genre. Very familiar, almost boring at first sight. But there are new units and new ideas and the game did surprise at some points.
Graphics & Sound
The graphics are great. I played on high detail level and it looks fantastic. Yes, it could improve, but it is very realistic. For example, when a plane goes by you can see the heat coming out of the engines. Cool. The sound is good, too, and creates just the right atmosphere. Nothing new here.
Units
I think EA really nailed it. There are surprising units, like the Scrin mastermind, which is something I haven't seen before. There are nice ideas like the ability of engineers to revive the walking mechanical units. However, many units (over half) are well known and not surprising. It's nice to see the 3 factions, each with really different strengths, yet well balanced. It was funny to see the "Planetary Assault Carrier" which is simply taken from StarCraft. Overall, nice job here.
The Storyline
The nice thing is that you play 3 storylines and they don't contradict, but rather give you a complete picture from all angles. Eventually, the Scrin (last) storyline was short an lacking. It feels like they were saving money here. The other 2 are great and provide hours and days of fun. It's good to see that there are less surgical missions and more brute force ones with lots of resources. Again, it's fun.
Skirmish
I was disappointed to find out the challenges introduced in CNC:Generals were not included. I really liked it. Other than that there's an ability to select the AI tactics, which is cool and makes a big difference. I must say that it's still possible to win many missions with the simple tactic of letting your opponent exhaust his resources. However, it's not that easy anymore.
Final Thoughts
I like "forgetting myself" in a good RTS game and CNC3 delivers. It's an improvement over a known formula that still works. However, in most cases I did feel there's nothing new here. I hope they come up with new ideas for the expansion pack...
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